Dane Coles was called into the All Blacks squad ahead of their tour of the northern hemisphere in 2012.

Raised on the Kapiti Coast north of Wellington, Coles played for New Zealand Under 19 in 2005 and New Zealand Under 21 in 2007. He made his provincial debut for Wellington the same year, scoring two tries on debut. He has been in the Hurricanes since 2009 and in 2010 also played for the Maori All Blacks in their triumphant centenary series of matches against the New Zealand Barbarians, Ireland and England.

Coles scored two tries on his provincial debut in 2007 for Wellington and scored a try on his Super Rugby debut against the Waratahs in 2009. He was used mainly as back-up to first-choice hooker Andrew Hore in his first three seasons with the Hurricanes, but took over in the number 2 jersey when Hore joined the Highlanders in 2012.